What’s Wrong With Islam/Muslims

What’s wrong with Islam?

Edit: 01/11/11 The Scribid text of Reliance 0f the Traveller linked below was incomplete and subsequently removed. This pdf file is complete but a low resolution scan makes it somewhat hard on the eyes.

As for subsequent times, there are two possible states in respect to non-Muslims.The first is when they are in their own countries, in which case jihad (def: o9.8) is a communal obligation, and this is what our author is speaking of when he says, “Jihad is a communal obligation,” meaning upon the Muslims each year.[Reliance of the Traveller, Book O9.1]

Jihad is something Muslims must do against non-Muslims every year. Exactly what is it?

Chapter O9.0: Jihad

(O: Jihad means to war against non-Muslims, and is etymologically derived from the word mujahada signifying warfare to establish the religion.

What is its practical application?

O9.8: The Objectives of Jihad

The caliph (o25) makes war upon Jews, Christians, and Zoroastrians…

O9.9

The caliph fights all other peoples until they become Muslim (O: because they are not a people with a Book,…

How does that apply to the United States of America?

Between 1779 and 1815, the Barbary pirates were attacking America’s merchant marine, seizing boats, enslaving their crews and stealing cargo. They demanded payment of tribute for safe passage.

In 1786 Jefferson and John Adams went to negotiate with Tripoli’s envoy to London, Ambassador Sidi Haji Abdrahaman or (Sidi Haji Abdul Rahman Adja). They asked him by what right he extorted money and took slaves. Jefferson reported to Secretary of State John Jay, and to the Congress:

The ambassador answered us that [the right] was founded on the Laws of the Prophet (Mohammed), that it was written in their Koran, that all nations who should not have answered their authority were sinners, that it was their right and duty to make war upon them wherever they could be found, and to make slaves of all they could take as prisoners, and that every Mussulman (or Muslim) who should be slain in battle was sure to go to heaven. [3]

Allah said:

8:39. Andfight them until there is no more Fitnah (disbelief and polytheism: i.e. worshipping others besides Allâh) and the religion (worship) will all be for Allâh Alone [in the whole of the world ]….

9:29.Fight against those who (1) believe not in Allâh, (2) nor in the Last Day, (3) nor forbid that which has been forbidden by Allâh and His Messenger (4) and those who acknowledge not the religion of truth (i.e. Islâm) among the people of the Scripture (Jews and Christians), until they pay the Jizyah with willing submission, and feel themselves subdued.

Muhammad said:

“I have been ordered to fight the people till they say: ‘None has the right to be worshipped but Allah.’ And if they say so, pray like our prayers, face our Qibla and slaughter as we slaughter, then their blood and property will be sacred to us and we will not interfere with them except legally and their reckoning will be with Allah.“Sahih Bukhari Volume 1, Book 8, Number 387

Caliph Umar’s general told the Persians:

…Our Prophet, the Messenger of our Lord, has ordered us to fight you till you worship Allah Alone or give Jizya (i.e. tribute); and our Prophet has informed us that our Lord says:– “Whoever amongst us is killed (i.e. martyred), shall go to Paradise to lead such a luxurious life as he has never seen, and whoever amongst us remain alive, shall become your master.”…Sahih Bukhari Volume 4, Book 53, Number 386

Compare the answer of Sidi Haji Abdrahaman to Bukhari4.53.386:

ordered us to fight you till you worship Allah Alone or give Jizya

that it was their right and duty to make war upon them

Whoever amongst us is killed (i.e. martyred), shall go to Paradise

every Mussulman (or Muslim) who should be slain in battle was sure to go to heaven.

whoever amongst us remain alive, shall become your master

to make slaves of all they could take as prisoners.

Compare what Allah said to what Moe said:

fight them

Fight against those who

I have been ordered to fight the people

Compare Reliance of the Traveller, Book O, Chapter 9, paragraph 8 to Rodwell’s translation of 9:29:

Objections:

Mis-translation.

I do not know a word of Arabic; can’t read a single character of it. Hilali & Khan translated the Qur’an quotes cited above with the exception of the one by Rodwell. I linked to nine parallel translations for easy comparison

Mis-interpretation.

How did Muhammad interpret those ayat?

What did he do?

Why does each of the four major hadith collections have a ‘book’ of Jihad?

Who interprets the Qur’an correctly, you or Ibn Kathir, who spent his life studying it, its interpretation & application?

What’s Wrong With Muslims?

If they believe and are faithful, they obey Allah’s commands by joining the Jihad, striving hard with their lives and their wealth. If not called to fight, they support Jihad with Zakat. How did the Holy Land Foundation raise $13M for Hamas?

8:2. The believers are only those who, when Allâh is mentioned, feel a fear in their hearts and when His Verses (this Qur’ân) are recited unto them, they (i.e. the Verses) increase their Faith; and they put their trust in their Lord (Alone);

61:10. O You who believe!Shall I guide you to a commerce that will save you from a painful torment.

61:11. That you believe in Allâh and His Messenger (Muhammad ), and that you strive hard and fight in the Cause of Allâh with your wealth and your lives, that will be better for you, if you but know!

61:12. (If you do so) He will forgive you your sins, and admit you into Gardens under which rivers flow, and pleasant dwelling in Gardens of ‘Adn ­ Eternity [‘Adn (Edn) Paradise], that is indeed the great success.

61:13. And also (He will give you) another (blessing) which you love, help from Allâh (against your enemies) and a near victory. And give glad tidings (O Muhammad ) to the believers.

What is the relationship between Allah & Muslims?

9:111. Verily, Allâh has purchased of the believers their lives and their properties; for the price that theirs shall be the Paradise. They fight in Allâh’s Cause, so they kill (others) and are killed. It is a promise in truth which is binding on Him in the Taurât (Torah) and the Injeel (Gospel) and the Qur’ân. And who is truer to his covenant than Allâh? Then rejoice in the bargain which you have concluded. That is the supreme success .

They fight in Allâh’s Cause, so they kill (others) and are killed.

That’s what Muslims do; they kill. That’s what’s wrong with Muslims: they worship and obey a bloodthirsty demon who commands them to subjugate us.

Objections:

I have Muslim friends; nice people, well behaved.

Muslims are explicitly commanded, in several ayat, not to befriend Kuffar. I will cite one of them.

60:1. O you who believe! Take not My enemies and your enemies (i.e. disbelievers and polytheists, etc.) as friends, showing affection towards them, while they have disbelieved in what has come to you of the truth (i.e. Islâmic Monotheism, this Qur’ân, and Muhammad ), and have driven out the Messenger (Muhammad ) and yourselves (from your homeland) because you believe in Allâh your Lord! If you have come forth to strive in My Cause and to seek My Good Pleasure, (then take not these disbelievers and polytheists, etc., as your friends). You show friendship to them in secret, while I am All-Aware of what you conceal and what you reveal. And whosoever of you (Muslims) does that, then indeed he has gone (far) astray, (away) from the Straight Path .

Most Muslims don’t engage in Jihad.

Yet. They haven’t been called by their Imam or Mullah. The Ummah is large and the battlefronts are relatively small. Once a sufficient number have answered the call, the rest are relieved unless an emergency occurs.

The Prophet said, on the day of the Conquest of Mecca, “There is no migration (after the Conquest), but Jihad and good intentions, and when you are called for Jihad, you should immediately respond to the call.”

Abu Dawud Book 14, Number 2497:Narrated AbuUmamah:
The Prophet (peace_be_upon_him) said: He who does not join the warlike expedition (jihad), or equip, or looks well after a warrior’s family when he is away, will be smitten by Allah with a sudden calamity. Yazid ibn Abdu Rabbihi said in his tradition: ‘before the Day of Resurrection”.

The Prophet (peace_be_upon_him) said: Three things are the roots of faith: to refrain from (killing) a person who utters, “There is no god but Allah” and not to declare him unbeliever whatever sin he commits, and not to excommunicate him from Islam for his any action; and jihad will be performed continuously since the day Allah sent me as a prophet until the day the last member of my community will fight with the Dajjal (Antichrist). The tyranny of any tyrant and the justice of any just (ruler) will not invalidate it. One must have faith in Divine decree.

I heard the Apostle of Allah, (peace_be_upon_him) say: When you enter into the inah transaction, hold the tailsof oxen, are pleased with agriculture, and give up conducting jihad (struggle in the way of Allah). Allah will make disgrace prevail over you, and will not withdraw it until you return to your original religion.

Take a cold, clear eyed second look at Abu Dawud 23.3455.

give up conducting jihad (struggle in the way of Allah). Allah will make disgrace prevail over you,

Allah will curse the Muslims if they abandon making war in favor of productive pursuits.

Understanding Islam requires familiarity with its canon of scripture, tradition & law. The Muslim Student Association at USC hosts the Compendium of Islamic Texts, which includes three parallel translations of the Qur’an and the top four hadith collections. I link my Qur’an quotes to http://www.quranbrowser.com, which displays 9 parallel translations for easy comparison.

Ibn Kathir’s Tafsir explains the meaning of the verses. In the case of the explicit commands, it confirms them with extreme clarity. In this post, I included links to two tafsir topics at http://www.tafsir.com. Those tafsir confirm the obvious meaning of Al-Anfal 39 & Al-Taubah 29. [www.Qtafsir.com has the same text with an easy to use search engine.]

Since Allah is sovereign, his word is law. Sharia is based on what Allah said and Moe did in obedience to his word. In this case, I cited relevant passages from Reliance of the Traveller, and confirmed them with quotes from two famous jurists.

I always encourage all readers to follow up by clicking links to my sources so that they can explore the context. While the Qur’an hadith & Tafsir have named anchors, Reliance of the Traveller does not so I can not link directly to the quotes. In this case, I provided a link to a scanned image at Scribid. Scribid has a search engine that will let you find any passage. by the reference numbers in the text.

1.) Jihad means “struggle”. That is the literal arabic interpretation of the word. What is more, there have bbeen cases of jihad being conducted AGAINST OTHER MUSLIMS. Not to mentioon that there are muslim scholars who disagree with the definition provided in reliance of a traveller (which is one of many jurisprudence manuals). And there are four types of jihad, and jihad follows set rules (don’t kill civillians, don’t attack civillian targets).

2.) You claim that 60:1 is clear proof muslims aren’t allowed to befriend non musims. verses 60:8 and 60:9 disagree. There are even verses in the quran which state that jews and christians can go to heaven.

3.) You make the mistake of assuming that all islamic manuals agree on what defines jihad. The truth is a hell of lot more complex, and there are scholars who have had differing interpetations. Just because a few guys have that interpreation odesn’t mean all scholars do.

[…] What’s Wrong With Islam/Muslims? at Islamophobia: Exposing Malicious Malarkey received a visit from Ryan, who left a comment which merits a better reply than a simple comment. Likening my analysis to dog excrement, he made three points. [Typographical errors original.] 1.) Jihad means “struggle”. That is the literal arabic interpretation of the word. What is more, there have bbeen cases of jihad being conducted AGAINST OTHER MUSLIMS. Not to mentioon that there are muslim scholars who disagree with the definition provided in reliance of a traveller (which is one of many jurisprudence manuals). And there are four types of jihad, and jihad follows set rules (don’t kill civillians, don’t attack civillian targets). […]

Ryan, this little blog gets very little action, it is too highly specialized. The other blogs where this is cross posted get far more views, particularly the one banned by the Waki Pakis last summer.

If you think this little blog is the only place where my response will be posted, you are gravely in error.

Moe’s recitation & sunnah form a congruent pattern which fits hand in glove with Shari’ah & mainstream tafsir. Together, they illustrate with the greatest possible clarity, exactly what Islam is. Framing that illustration for public view is the purpose of this blog post.

[…] What’s Wrong With Islam/Muslims? at Islamophobia: Exposing Malicious Malarkey received a visit from Ryan, who left a comment which merits a better reply than a simple comment. Likening my analysis to dog excrement, he made three points. [Typographical errors original.] 1.) Jihad means “struggle”. That is the literal arabic interpretation of the word. What is more, there have bbeen cases of jihad being conducted AGAINST OTHER MUSLIMS. Not to mentioon that there are muslim scholars who disagree with the definition provided in reliance of a traveller (which is one of many jurisprudence manuals). And there are four types of jihad, and jihad follows set rules (don’t kill civillians, don’t attack civillian targets). […]